Bronchogenic carcinoma producing ectopic steroid hormones

A patient with steroid hormones or androgen producing bronchogenic adenocarcinoma was presented. Clinically he had a mediastinal mass and bilateral multiple pulmonary nodules which showed a rapid growth despite cancer chemotherapy. At postmortem examination, radioimmunoassay of the tumor tissue revealed androgen and their precursors. The mitochondria of the tumor cells resembled those of cells in the zona reticularis of the adrenal cortex.